Typically, preparing the ground and laying foundations for groundworks requires an upper surface of an area of ground to be cleared of plants and rubble, digging a hole of a required size, and then infilling this hole with different infill materials such as a hardcore, ballast, gravel and sand before overlaying the uppermost layer with one or more of paving slabs, tiles, bricks or a fluid material e.g. concrete. If desired such a fluid material may, before or after it is allowed to solidify, be overlaid with paving slabs, or blocks.
A problem with the current method of preparing ground for groundworks is that a construction worker must dig a hole of substantial depth into the subsoil, e.g. 150-200 mm so as to accommodate the hardcore ballast as well as the required amount of infill material and/or concrete overlay to achieve the desired strength of foundation. Also, the depth of the hole must generally be maintained throughout the dug area, which can be difficult for large areas. If a large area is to be prepared, a substantial volume of earth must be dug and removed. Additionally, when a hole is lined with a liner and a hardcore ballast material, the drainage ability of the finished ground work is diminished, which may become an issue in certain situations.
The current invention aims to overcome or at least mitigate one or more of the problems associated with the prior art.